Acetylene-gas generator.



PATENTBD JAN. 31, 1905.

v J. BARTLETT. AGBTYLBNE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED D30. 12, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. 31, 1905.

J. BARTLETT. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.12, 1902. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

I UNITED STATES Patented. January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 780,968, dated January 31, 1905.

Application filed December 12, 1902. Serial No. 134,954. l i

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES BARTLETT, plumber and electrician, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 42 Broad Lane, South Tottenham, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene- Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved automatic generator for the production of acetylene gas which is worked on the principle of a gasometer for regulating the supply of water and storing the gas. For this purpose I provide a large vessel containing Water and fitted with guides for guiding the vertical motions of an inner inverted vessel or drum acting on the principle of a gasometer. This drum stores the gas as it is generated,vand by its motion automatically acts upon a valve to regulate the supply of water to the carbid. The said valve is fitted within a water-tank attached to the gasometer and is kept closed by aspring. As the drum descends by the use of the gas it acts upon the valve-spindle so as to open the said valve and admit water from the tank to the carbid-holder, which is placed in a chamber or generator, and in order to clearly understand my invention reference is had to the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a partial plan of the same. Fig. 4 is a separate view-in section of one of the generators; and Fig. 5 is a section, to an enlarged scale, of the lower end of the valve-spindle and valve forregulating the water-supply. Fig. 6 is-a separate view in elevation of a siphon safety-valve.

a is the outer vessel of the gasometer, containing water, and t is the inner drum or cylinder, guided in its vertical movement by the cross-bar 0, fixed to the vessel brackets d, carried by drum 6.

e is the water-tank, fixed to the front of the vessel or, and f is the valve for feeding water from the said tank to the generators. The spindle g of this valve is tubular, as shown in a, and guide- Fig. 5, and is provided with perforation 7t, and its upper end is fitted with aspring 2', bearing against a tubular guide j, which is supported by a cross-bar 7c, fitted to the top of the tank. The guide is connected to the valve by an outer tube Z, and m is a branch pipe leading from the valve to a pipe at and through pipes 0 0 and the vertical perforated pipe ;0

to each separate carbid-ho'lder 9 through the perforated conical bottom r and perforated tube .9 of the same. The valve consists of a leather washer t, which closes against the open end of the junction 92 by the action of the spring z. 'u is another branch from the spindle g, the object of which is hereinafter explained.

w is the arm fixed to the top of the drum Z) for bearing upon and forcing'down the valvespindle.

w is the chamber within whichthe carbidholder is placed, the whole forming a generator fixed to each side of the vessel a. These chambers are formed with double sides, leaving a space all round which is filled with water for keeping the parts cool, and they are each provided with-a cover 3/, fixed by wing-nuts .2 and made air-tight by bearing upon an indiarubber ring held in a recess, as shown.

The pipe 10 is fitted with a back-pressure valve 0 to prevent any liquid contained in the carbid-holderq passing into other generators.

A is a cleaning screw or plug fittedin front of each generator, by removing which water can be poured through the latter when the holder 9 is removed out into the tank placed beneath for flushing said generator.

B is the purifying box or receptacle, connected to each generator by the pipes C and filled with wadding or other material, and D is the purifying-box at the bottom of vessel a. This box is provided with a perforated plate E, above which is placed coke or pumicestone and beneath it wadding and rotten-stone.

F is a pipe leading from box D up into the drum Z). p

G is a screw or cleaning-out plug in the bottom of the box.

H is a pipe leading from the purifier B to purifier D and fitted with a cock I, and J is a pipe leading from purifier D to a third purifier K, also filled with wadding and rottenstone and carried in the tank 0, the pipe passing through the water in the latter, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it is always kept cool.

L is the gas-supply pipe to the burners, fitted with a tap M and a screw-coupling N.

O is the safety-valve, fitted to the top of the drum 6.

The operation is as follows: The vessel 0 is filled with water and the coupling N disconnected. The tap M is then turned on to let out the air, when the coupling is again connected and the tank 0 filled with water. The spaces surrounding the generators are also filled with water through a screw-plug in the top. The coversy of the generators are removed and the holders q, filled with carbid, placed in the latter or fresh ones supplied, when the covers are again fixed by the nuts One or more of the cocks 0 of the pipes 0 is or are then turned on. The valve f being open, water from the tank 0 thus passes through the pipes a and 0 to one or more of the carbid-holders by the pipe and the gas generated passes through the perforations in the holders and through the pipes G into the first purifier B. It then passes by the coekI into the second purifier D, through the packing in the lower part and coke or pumicestone in the upper part thereof, and up the pipe F into the drum 6 of the gasometer, thus raising said drum and releasing the pressure on the valve-spindle g, so as to enable the spring a to close said valve and stop the passage of the water to the generators. The gas thus ceases to be generated until by its use the drum falls again and opens the supply of water to the generators. The gas stored in the drum 6 passes down the pipe F back into the purifier D, from whence it escapes by the pipe J, passing through the tank a into the third purifier K and out by the pipe L to the burners. Should the safety-valve oget stuck or not be in proper working order, the gas and water is forced back through the several pipes and chambers to the perforation h in the valve-spindle g, up which they pass to the branch 1) and from thence escape by a pipe to any desired spot, thus preventing any possibility of explosions.

The gasometer is fitted with legs P or other supports, as desired. I may also employ another safety-valve working on the principle of a siphon-tube, as shown at Q, Figs. 1 and 6, which is connected with the upper part of the generator-chamber. The said tube is provided with or leads into a chamber R and contains water, oil, or other liquid to act as a seal in its lower bend. Should the pressure of gas in the generator overcome the liquid column, the latter is forced into the chamber R, thus permitting the gas to escape by the upper pipe S.

The carbid-holder q is, as before described, placed in the generater-chamber, and when the carbid is used up the said holder is taken out of the chamber and may be thrown away and a new holder filled with carbid substituted therefor.

The safety-valves may all be connected to one common pipe for leading the surplus gas to any desired place.

Having now fully described the nature of my said invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an acteyleue-gas generator the combination of a gasometer for storing gas, a water-tank connected thereto, a purifier placed in said tank, through which the gas passes on its way to the burners, a valve also placed in the tank and opened by the downward moti on of the gasomcter-drum. two or more genera.- tor-chambers to which water is fed by the said valve, an inner chamber fitted to each of the generater-ehambers and consisting of a metal box formed with a conical bottom, a watersupply pipe fitted to the latter, a carbid-holder placed in the inner chamber and formed with a conical perforated bottom, a perforated tube fitted to the latter and surrounding the watersupply pipe, and an air-tight cover fitted to the generator-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene-gas generator the combi nation with a water-tank such as 1 of a waterfeeding valve f, tubular spindle 5/ provided with a perforation 71. a spring J for closing the same, a second tube Z inclosing the spindle r/, an arm '20 acting upon said spindle, a drum or holder 0 carrying thesaid arm,gas-generators a: to which water is admitted by the valve f, and a branch pipe w fitted to the upper end of the spindle to serve as a safety-valve for the passage of any extra pressure of gas and water, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT G uone u PAIN u, FRANK HAwKINs. 

